Friday Addams || Xavier Thorpe

23

"I was trying to learn more about Crackstone," cams Wednesday's clipped response to Xavier's question of why we had visited the old meeting place. We had previously encountered the monster again and managed to survive without even a scratch, something that couldn't be said about Rowan. "Figure out how he's connected to this."

"Yeah, you were trying to use your psychic abilities, right?" The brunette asked as he looked at my twin. My eyes slightly widened in shock at how he had been able to guess my twin's powers.

"What makes you think she has any?" I demanded, turning to face him and becoming paralyzed under his gaze.

"Lucky guess." He returned his eyes to my sister, "When did they start?"

"About a year ago. When they happen, it feels like I'm touching live wire. I usually enjoy that sensation," Wednesday said with a hint of longing for the feeling without the accompaniment of the visions.

"Yeah, but you can't control it and that freaks you out," Xavier observed, the accuracy of his guess unnerving me. "My dad's a psychic. Vincent Thorpe," He added almost as an afterthought.

"Our brother is his number one fan," I stated, "Watched his Vegas Special so many times."

"I'm surprised it's not imprinted on his eyeballs," my twin added.

"So I've lived with a self-described master. The first thing he'll tell you is that visions can't be trusted. They only show part of the picture." The rain seemed to be coming down harder as we spoke with Xavier, something about our research into the monster seemed as if it were fuelling it.

"I saw Joseph Crackstone in front of me as clearly as I am seeing you now. He gathered all of the outcasts in the meeting house and burned them alive." The horror of which Wednesday has just described happened in her vision was worse than anything I've ever heard or seen her say or do.

"Okay, he was a sadistic asshole. It was 400 years ago. It's got nothing to do with now," the ignorance in his tone was almost a blessing to him with what he didn't know. I started to internally facepalm at his inability to understand its importance but realized he didn't know everything.

"But what if it does? You saw Rowan's drawing. Crackstone was standing in the quad," I piped in, having been shown everything by my twin.

"You're creating a story in your head and using visions to back it up. And dragging Friday down with you," He aimed toward Wednesday. "They're telling you what you want to see." He waved his hands out in front as he spoke.

"Are you mansplaining my power to me?" My twin asked, her lips drawn in a tight line.

"All I'm saying is that my dad, the expert, would warn you that psychic ability isn't rooted in logic. It's triggered by emotions. And let's be honest, emotion isn't your strong suit," the bot exclaimed which he wasn't incorrect about.

"Something bad is going to happen, and I need to stop it. Starting with that monster, whoever it is," Wednesday declared, always wanting to be a hero as much as she would never admit to it.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way back to Jericho. After reaching the safety of the town, I pulled Wednesday to the side to talk about our discoveries. "So... the monster is human?" I asked, after we saw the transformation of the footsteps.

"Yes... and Xavier was the first to show up afterwards, close to where the footprints faded away," my twin observed.

I had a shocked expression on my face, my mouth forming an 'o' shake at her audacity to suspect Xavier. "Are you seriously listing him as a subject? He was out there because he was worried about us and he wanted to help. He was not the monster, he could never do that."

"You're blinded by the foolish emotion of love that you get from our parents. You have a crush on him and he cares for you, you won't notice if he really was the monster, as much as I suspect he is," she explained.

"I am not! Xavier and I were just friends and we stopped being friends after the Nightshade club incident. If anything, you're too focused on solving this mystery that you're trying to find evidence of anyone being the monster." I didn't speak out against my twin often but I knew she was wrong, that Xavier was incapable of performing the monstrous acts the beast had.

"I am trying to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt, Friday. Mother sent us here and I was trying to make the best of it and now all of this has happened with a drawing of us, Crackstone, and the destruction of Nevermore at the center of it all. The evidence leads to Xavier for now so that is who I'm going to suspect until he is proven to be innocent." Similar to how I had never spoken against her, she hardly showed any emotion other than being cold. However, I could hear the anger at my questioning of her suspicions and the disappointment that I could not understand the same thing she did. The truth was, we both had different perspectives and outcomes on life and were bound to have diverse opinions.

"But what if you're wrong, Wednesday. You might be able to have you visions, and you've protected Pugsley, and you're intelligent but that doesn't mean you can't be wrong. You also lack the emotion needed for proper assumptions, you're only logical and that can be a downside to thinking clearly. You look for the evidence but not the personalities or emotions of people, not who they are within," I stated.

She stared at me with a blank look in her eyes, masking her emotions as per usual, in a way that I couldn't even figure out from looking at her. "Exactly, your emotions are getting in the way. Remove them or remove yourself from the investigation. Now, we need to get back before the ceremony begins." My twin strode off and left me to make my way back to the centre of Jericho.